


Filling in the Gaps - Shooting

by Thefishoutofwater



Series: Filling in the Gaps [8]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M, Shooting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 07:41:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13336563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thefishoutofwater/pseuds/Thefishoutofwater
Summary: A mass shooting brings back memories for Alex and Meredith whilst Jo tries to understand





	Filling in the Gaps - Shooting

Jo and Alex were waiting outside their building enjoying the weak rays of sunshine.  His arm was flung casually over her shoulder as she nestled her head gently into his chest. They were relaxed after a rare day off together. Jo smiled as she felt his hand work through her hair to gently massage the bottom of her neck. She felt content and loved.

“A shame we couldn’t pop back to bed,” she murmured melting into his half embrace. She felt, rather than saw his smile. The moment was shattered as Meredith Grey pulled up beside them honking her horn and disturbing the peace, “you know,” she muttered, “when we moved out I didn’t expect our mornings to quite work out like this.”

It was a testament to their earlier activities and Alex’ good mood that he did not respond, simply dropping a kiss to her head as he moved to the empty front passenger seat propping the back door open to allow Jo to slip into the back seat trying hard to ignore the crunch of the kids half empty snack packets under her feet.

They were several minutes away from the hospital when the sounds of multiple sirens cut through the air. All three doctors tensed, Jo spinning in her seat trying to get a sense of direction. She did not have to wait long as the first fired past them towards the hospital followed in quick succession by a second and then a third. Distant howling suggesting that there were more to come.

“What the hell?” Meredith exclaimed reaching for the car radio, “Alex find some news.”

Jo rolled her eyes as Alex started to flip through radio stations. She turned her phone to the search engine and with a couple of taps had the answer.

“There’s been a mass shooting at the ferryboat terminal. Reports say 2 maybe three gunmen. Police have one suspect in custody, 2 still at large.” She was horrified by what she read as she continued to skim the newspapers but slightly smug that she had the answer first. She was jerked forward in her seat as Meredith breaked suddenly and listened as the two doctors in the front seat started talking in sharp worried tones.

“It’s past school time there are unlikely to be child casualties when we get to the hospital and you get yourself up to Pedes. They’ll have increased security up there.”

“You shouldn’t be around this. Why don’t you speak to Bailey and take the day.”

To Jo’s confusion they exchanged slightly bashful looks and laughed slightly. Meredith indicated and pulled the car forwards again speaking.

“Me first. Alex you should absolutely not be around this. Please?” she fluttered a hand across the console brushing his leg. Jo watched wide eyed as her boyfriend stilled his friends hand by holding it still, half resting on his thigh,

“I’m fine. The benefit of not being a deep thinker.” He tilted into a half smile.

“You…”

“Now you. You attract drama like a magnet and you brood. You’re broody”

“I do not brood.”

“You brood and this seems like good brooding material. Shootings, ferry boats this is your kryptonite Mer. Stay away.”

“I will not…”

He interrupted her again as she pulled into a parking space, shutting off the engine.

“Please? If you won’t do that…”

“And I won’t. I’m a surgeon. I’m going to be needed here today you know that.”

“Okay then please at least don’t go out there if they are looking for on site triage, and maybe make sure there is security around?”

Jo coughed from the backseat,

“Maybe we should you know. Go to work?” her tone was sharp and sarcastic as she opened the door and stalked towards the hospital earlier good mood shattered.

* * *

 

Several hours later Jo was scrubbed into the OR as she watched Meredith delicately extract a bullet from one of the shooting victims liver. Jo pondered the older woman, no matter how many things personally she struggled with Dr Grey she could not deny the woman’s skill in the OR,

“Do you want to close Wilson?”

Jo jumped slightly watching as Meredith took a deep breath and crunched her shoulders to her ears a few times,

“Erm, sure thank you Dr Grey.” She leaned forward collecting her equipment and started work concentrating hard,

“I’m sorry about this morning,” Meredith was quiet, and her eyes bounced around the room unwilling to meet Jo’s “I worry about him. I know you do too and I should have let you do that today and not taken over.”

Jo was flabbergasted. Meredith rarely acknowledged her place in Alex’ life and an apology was unheard of. She was however more than a little embarrassed that she was not quite sure what she should have done today. Reluctantly she raised her eyes slightly and said,

“Thanks you but I’m not quite sure I understood exactly.”

A small wrinkle appeared between Meredith’s eyes and she took a deep breath to calm herself,

“You know he was shot surely? You’ve seen the scar?” A gloved hand pointed towards her ribs in exactly the same places as Alex’s. “It happened here at the hospital. We had a grief crazed patients husband go on a rampage here one quiet afternoon. We lost people that day Wilson, friends of April and Jackson’s from Mercy West and we could have lost more. Derek was badly injured, Alex nearly bled out in a lift and Owen took a hit as well.”

Jo’s eyebrows shot towards her scrub cap and she stopped stitching aware her hand was shaking slightly. She took a couple of deep breaths and pulled herself together,

“I didn’t know. I mean I’ve seen the scar and I’m not stupid I know what it is but he never wanted to talk about it. I just assumed it was a childhood thing.”

Meredith looked at the younger woman with pity and avoided pointing out that she ought to know the difference between a twenty year old scar and one only a couple of years old.

“That’s Alex for you. Still go easy on him today hey Wilson. He may say he’s not a deep thinker but he’ll be thinking,” she looked at the closed incision, “good job. Let’s get him up to recovery and see what’s next out there.”

Jo watched as she pulled off her gown and placed in the bin before heading towards the door. Waiting until Meredith had exited the room one of the scrub nurses spoke quietly,

“Dr Wilson?” she turned and nodded, “It was really terrible back then you know. Afterwards, I mean maybe six months after a TV crew came in and did a show and interviews and stuff including Dr Karev. You’d probably find it on YouTube . I mean if you wanted to?”

Jo nodded her thanks at the nurse and turned to leave.

 

* * *

 

Jo returned to the ER relieved to hear that the police had apprehended all three of the shooters and that all casualties had been triaged,

“Where do you need me?” she asked Hunt reviewing the board,

“Room three, go help Kepner she’s only got one of Edwards’ interns and a nurse in there at the moment.”

Jo bounced down the corridor, pushing the door to the room open with her back, Kepner looked up hands covered in blood,

“Wilson. Great. This is Melissa Henshaw, she’s 26,  GSW to the abdomen, bullets still in there and we need to get it out. Melissa is 25 weeks pregnant and whilst the baby has not been hit I’d like Karev or one of his guys in the OR with us; we’re seeing signs of foetal distress. Can you run up and grab him?  I asked Spencer to page him but that might be quicker. Then come scrub in with me?”

Owen had followed Jo into the room and was listening quietly,

“Dr Spencer can you stay with the patient for a moment please? Dr Kepner a word?”

Jo and April left the room together, Owen carefully closing the door whilst positioning himself where he could see inside. Jo was about to start towards the Pedes wards when she heard Hunt,

“April you know there is a good chance that woman is going to lose that baby; it’s too soon.  I don’t think that you should be in there for that.”

Jo thought back to how quiet and sad Kepner had been after her son had died, returned,

“Sorry Sir, I could not help but overhear. Dr Grey is free we just finished up in OR2?”

“No!” Kepner’s tone was strident, “I’m fine! Owen this is totally different to Samuel and anyway I’m a surgeon and that woman needs help. We’ll do everything we can to help her and her baby. But,” and April’s voice became even firmer, “I am not asking Meredith to scrub in on this. I can’t ask her to stand in _that_ OR with this woman and her baby after a shooting like today. I just won’t.”

Jo watched as Owen nodded reluctantly his eyes warm with understanding,

“Wilson, go find me another surgeon now!”

 

* * *

 

Jo was slumped against the side of Dr Grey’s car. She had scrubbed into another surgery after Melissa’s and her back and feet were screaming at her. She watched as Alex and Meredith approached quickly, heads together deep in conversation.

As Meredith moved around the drivers seat Jo took the opportunity to pull her boyfriend into a hug, hand drifting carefully over where she knew the puckered skin was,

“Who told you?” he was resigned, “Webber? He was on my case for months afterwards? Bailey – she rode my ass too.”

“Hmmm,” Jo was purposely non-committal, eyes briefly meeting Dr Grey’s over the top of the car as the older woman slid into her seat,

“Come on you two I need my bed. And I don’t love your neighbourhood in daylight let alone now.”

Jo was lying, head slumped against the window, eyes shut letting the slight vibration of the car lull her into a pleasant semi sleep.

“I hear Kepner had a bit of a meltdown in the ER today?” Alex’ voice was unusually tentative, “wanted to keep you away from the pregnant patient.”

Meredith was non-committal, “Maybe I heard that. Still good job you with the preemie. 25 weeks -  kid might just have a chance.”

“Mer?”

Jo opened an eye, confused by her boyfriends tentative yet questioning tone,

“Alex?” Meredith’s tone was light

“Are you okay? I mean today must have brought stuff back?”

“Alex Karev do you want to talk about feelings?”

“Dude, don’t be an ass,” he grumbled, “I’m just saying if you want to talk I’m here.”

For several long moments the only sound was the traffic and the indicator ticking as Meredith turned off the main road,

“You know I thought it would be harder than it was,” she started almost reluctantly, “When I dream about it, it’s like these flashing moments. Standing up seeing the gun pointing at Cristina over Derek’s body. Then flash, it’s the feeling in my legs propelled me forwards, hearing rather than thinking when I told the guy to kill me,” Jo swallowed a gasp in the backseat as she heard the cool, factual tones, “then flash it’s the noise of the gun as Owen was hit. Then flash we’re over his body and I can see April’s face as she saw the blood.” Jo saw Meredith ideally stroke a hand over her abdomen as Alex turned to watch her, “Flash I’m watching Bailey absolutely fall to pieces. Flash I’m across town at Derek’s bedside and there’s Lexie covered in blood,” she lay her hand on his arm gently, “your blood. Flash, I’m screaming at this pompous attending who wouldn’t let me into your OR or into the gallery.  Flash I’m at the OB-GYN. Flash Cristina’s bullshitting to get us into your room, Flash it’s Reed’s funeral. It’s all flash, flash, flash. It’s scary.”

Alex spoke, his voice slightly croaky with emotion,

“I know Mer, I dream sometimes too.” He seemed embarrassed by the admission and Jo wondered which of his sweating, screaming nightmares were related to what she had just heard.

“But today,” she sounded brighter, “today I felt okay. The memories weren’t any worse than the dreams and I did good work today. We did good work today. In fact,” a pause as she turned into their street, “today made me realise how lucky I am.”

Alex snorted,

“You are the most unlucky person I know. Bombs, shootings, drownings. Ring a bell?”

“Shut up! I don’t mean that. I mean I could have lost Derek that day, but I didn’t. We both lived and we got more time together. Great time together. I mean imagine, no Zola, no dream house, no Bailey or Ellis.” Her voice wobbled slightly as she pulled the car to a stand still and switched the engine off. Jo kept her eyes tightly shut, “I lost our first baby that day and sure that makes me sad. I wonder who he might have been sometimes.”

Jo started to feel embarrassed about what she was hearing. Despite a breakthrough of sorts earlier in the day she was sure Dr Grey would never have spoken so openly if she’d realised the occupant of the back seat was wide awake.

“He’d have been a great older brother to Zo and he’d be playing catch with Bailey and helping with Ellis, but it wasn’t to be. Him not being here doesn’t make me enjoy my other kids less. It makes me enjoy them more.” She cleared her throat, “So I’m going to go home and wake them up and hug them til they squirm embarrassed at me, and then maybe we’ll eat something really inappropriate and just enjoy being together.”

“Are you sure you’re ok?”

“I will be,” her tone changed and became more flippant, “listen to wise Widow Grey.”

He snorted again,

“Really? You’re going with that? Widow Grey?”

“I am.” She was unapologetic, “Take your girl home and hold her and be grateful you have her, that you have time. Hell have sex all night long just don’t make me listen to it or about it.” A change in volume, “Wilson, wake up end of the line!”

Jo opened her eyes and stretched theatrically,

“Thanks Dr Grey. Night.”

“Night Mer, and…”

Alex’s words were drowned out by the sound of the engine starting and the auto-locks being engaged as she pulled away waving. He threw his arm around Jo pulling her close,

“Lets go to bed.”


End file.
